Sep 14, 2017

See Why There Was no iPhone 9, Windows 9 and BB9

Like seriously, have you ever wondered why there was never Blackberry 9 (BB9)? What about Windows 9 or iPhone 9? In this article, I'll open your eyes to understand why these big companies and even upcoming ones won't add 9 to the name of their gadgets.

If you noticed, after the release of Windows 8, there should be Windows 9 but it was skipped over to Windows 10. Blackberry too did same thing and launched BB10 and skipped BB9. What about iPhone 9? Apple skipped the 9 and named it iPhone X instead, whereas X stands for 10 in roman figures.

Marketing and Perception
If you want to sell products across multiple cultures, the rule of the game is to understand those cultures and their superstitions. This is the 21st century, but human nature is still essentially the same. For example, even in many places in the West, the number 13 is considered a number for bad luck. Remember “Friday the 13th”? lol.

You are not likely to see Windows 13 or an iPhone 13 in the future.

Also, in countries like Korea, China and Japan, the number 4 is a synonym for the word “death”. As such, brands active in those countries tend to avoid it. Who wants to buy death?! I remember Nokia avoiding that number in phones they shipped to that region.

Don’t forget it. If you want to sell products (consumer products especially) across multiple cultures, the rule of the game is to understand those cultures and their superstitions. Sometimes, brands take a chance and go ahead to push a product associated with an unlucky/negative number anyway. Sometimes, that is part of the game. But with the consumer public, perception is a factor. A strong factor.

The Number 9
So, what’s up with the number 9? It is a curse word in Chinese and a synonym for suffering, agony or torture in Japanese. That’s what.

Note the Chinese connection. That is a huge market that big brands cannot afford to play with, so those brands who wish to sell there avoid numbers that can mess up product perception. In marketing aferall, perception is everything.

Now you know why there is no iPhone 9. Apple jumped and passed the Chinese curse word. And when I say curse in this context, I do not mean swear.